Taylor Swift Shares 'I Knew It, I Knew You' Music Video Featuring Jessie's Greatest Toy Story Moments

Swift's new song was written for 'Toy Story 5,' in theaters June 19

Jessie Toy Story 2 Taylor Swift Shares Video for 'I Knew It, I Knew You' from Toy Story 5
Jessie in Taylor Swift's music video. Credit :

Walt Disney Pictures

NEED TO KNOW

  • Taylor Swift released a surprise music video for “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack
  • The song marks a return to her country roots and was co-written with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff
  • Swift shared childhood memories of loving Toy Story and thanked director Andrew Stanton and composer Randy Newman

Taylor Swift is in her cowgirl era!

The pop superstar released the new song “I Knew It, I Knew You” on Friday, June 5 as part of the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and surprised fans hours later by releasing an accompanying music video on Spotify and Apple Music.

The video is a compilation of memorable Toy Story moments featuring the fan-favorite cowgirl rag doll Jessie, who was introduced in the series' second installment in 1999. The clip includes her miraculous escape with Woody and Bullseye at the end of Toy Story 2, sweet moments with Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3 and scenes with her newest owner Bonnie.

The folksy song harkens back to Swift's early country music days, though it was co-written and produced by Jack Antonoff, who has helped helm some of her biggest pop hits.

Taylor Swift for Toy Story 5's Original Song, 'I Knew It, I Knew You'.
Taylor Swift.

Beth Garrabrant

Swift, 36, wrote on Instagram that writing the song felt like a “musical departure and coming home at the same time,” as her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, leaned heavily on uptempo dance beats.

“Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once,” she wrote. “And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now… is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond.”

The “Opalite” singer also thanked Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton for "imagining me for this” when he wrote the film and Randy Newman, who has scored and written songs for all five Toy Story movies.

“You created the Toy Story musical world, and we are lucky to get to live in it. By we, I mean myself and my pal @jackantonoff,” she wrote. “We wrote this with so much adoration for these characters that made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the backyard all throughout our childhoods.”

The star accompanied her message with a sweet home video that featured her dressed as a cowgirl as a child à la Jessie, a cowgirl doll character in the films voiced by Joan Cusack.

After its release, "I Knew It, I Knew You" became the most-streamed country song in a single day by a female artist in Spotify history.

Upon announcing the song on June 1, Swift said she saw Toy Story 5 in its early stages and wrote “I Knew It, I Knew You” as soon as she returned home from the screening.

The new film is out June 19, and reunites Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and more as the beloved ragtag group of toys takes on their biggest challenge yet: technology.

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